Use design thinking for a successful training program

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Training is something that every company does, whether they’re a large, publicly traded enterprise or a small non-profit. But training isn’t something that every company does well. And that’s an important disconnect. Especially because training programs are a significant investment for companies. In 2015 American companies spent over $160 billion on training and development programs alone. To put that collective investment in perspective, that’s comparable to the United States’ 2016 national debt.

But here’s the catch: businesses are having trouble nailing down the elusive successful training program.

After participating in training, many employees don’t change their behaviors and quickly revert back to their old habits. They just don’t feel that the material is engaging or relevant to them.

On top of a lack of employee engagement, many internal learning and development teams are feeling stretched. At the same time, other departments are asking for more and more training to supplement the lack of employee behavior change. It all becomes a vicious cycle.

At ThoughtForm, we have a new approach for you to try as you create training programs: think like a designer.

At the heart of design thinking is a commitment to the user, a commitment to understand their wants, needs, motivations, strengths, and limitations. The same is true for successful training programs. For, what is a training program but a series of designed experiences that try to change a user’s behavior?

By using the same methods that a designer would employ, you can create highly engaging, actionable training that’s based on research and user constraints. And that’s the kind of training that creates meaningful change.